Deathloop Overcomes One of Dishonored's Most Frustrating Features
Deathloop is the upcoming game from Dishonored developer Arkane. The title was announced back in 2019, and is currently set for release in May of 2021. At first, fans might notice all the apparent similarities between Dishonored and the new game when watching its gameplay trailer.
Deathloop will be a first-person stealth shooter, and even has mechanics which look just like the magic players use in Dishonored, like Blink. However, there is one key change being made in Deathloop which could make all the difference and could also help overcome one of Dishonored’s most frustrating feature.
The only way to get the best ending in Dishonored or Dishonored 2 is to kill as few people as possible. Killing people in Dishonored causes more “Chaos” in the games. That means more rats and bloodflies, more guards, and most importantly a far less optimistic ending.
For example, in the original Dishonored killing few or no NPCs will lead to a “golden age, brought about by your hand” where Corvo Attano stands at Emily Kaldwin’s side as she becomes the Empress Dunwall and the Empire of the Isles needs. The rat plague is overcome, and Emily’s reign is one of relative prosperity. In the Total Chaos ending, Emily does not survive and the Empire begins to crumble.
Dishonored’s multiple endings are a great feature, but their causes aren’t quite satisfying. In order to get the best ending the player simply has to make the most morally righteous decision at every turn – in light of the way the endings work there are no times where doing the right thing comes at a high price, or times where brutality is the most expedient option.
On the other side of the spectrum, it’s difficult to enjoy many of the games’ great combat features when the games so heavily incentivize stealth runs. The ending is entirely connected to morality, and completely disconnected from skill. There is little difference between a Corvo or Emily who deftly and quietly disposes of their enemies and one who blows them up with cannisters of whale oil – both get variants of the undesirable ending.
Deathloop will allow players to indulge in all the combat and chaos they like guilt-free – after all, the time loop brings everybody, including the two main characters, back to life. As fun as a stealth run of Dishonored is, the game’s combat is very satisfying and disappointing to miss out on in a Low Chaos run. Deathloop’s combat seems very similar, but without the need to avoid combat to get what many fans might consider the best ending.
This single change could transform the experience of playing Deathloop when compared to Dishonored despite their apparent similarities. Practicality, not morality, is the name of the game in Deathloop’s world. Arkane developer Dinga Bakaba – who recently hinted that Dishonored 3 was not out of the question in the studio’s future – has commented that “because people don’t really die per se, because of the time loop, he [Colt, the protagonist] just goes for the fastest option, which is either sneaking past them, or eliminating them through stealth, or action.”
In other words the best way to play through Deathloop will be to be good in terms of skill, not morality. This could allow players far more freedom to explore all of the tools at their disposal without worrying about ruining the story. As more details about the upcoming title are released fans of the studio will get a better idea of what they can expect in Deathloop's gameplay, but if nothing else by severing morality from the equation Deathloop could become one of Arkane's most satisfying stealth shooters to date.
Deathloop releases on May 21, 2021 for PC and the PlayStation 5.
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